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►HE equestrian statue of Genekal George Washington, by Clark Mills, 

ordered by Congress 1853 cost $50,000. Cast out of guns donated by 

Congress. It stands on Pennsylvania Avenue, about half-way between the 

Executive Mansion and Georgetown. The subject is represented at the 

^ _- crisis of the Battle of Princeton. The horse shrinks before the storm of con- 

(&^ *^f ^^^'^' ^^'^''^ '■'^^ ''''^'^'' preserves the equanimity of bearing native to his great 

cPo^^^ character. 

\ The colossal statue of George Washington, by Horatio Greenough, 

ordered by Congress 1832, stands in the East Park of the Capitol. It was cut out of 
a block of Carrara marble weighing 12 tons, is 12 feet high, and cost $44,000. In the 
figure the right hand points to heaven, and the left, advanced, holds a Roman short 
sword. Over the right arm and lower part of the bod\- falls a mantle. 





MILLS' STATUE OF WASHINGTOU. 



GREENOUGH'S STATUE OF WASHfflGTON. 




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the Capitol. 
Mansion and 
and principal 



HE City of Washington is 14 miles in circumference, and covers an area of 
gi^ square miles. Its broad streets and avenues comprise 2,554 acres, spa- 
cious government parks 541 acres, and building sites 3,016 acres. It was 
created a municipality in 1 80 1. In 1 87 1 that was superseded by a territorial 
form, with a governor and legislature. This proving expensive, was abolished 
in 1874, and a government of three Commissioners substituted. Congress has 
the supreme control, and for admmistrative purposes its authority is exercised 
by special statutory provisions. The city is divided into four quarters, formed 
by a north and south and east and west lines passing through the centre of 
The finest quarter of the city is the northwestern. Here are the Executive 
all the executive buildings, the most beautiful squares, fashionable residences, 
business establishments. The population of the city in 1 880 was 147,307, 



Georgetown 12,578, Remainder of the District 17,753. Total; The District 177,638. In 
1870 the city contained 109,199 inhabitants. 




View of Washington from the CAPITOL. (Northwestern Quarter.; 




^ '^'(f^ LARK MILLS' equestrian staUic of General Andkew Jackson h.is a fine 
■ " site in Lafayette Square, north of the Elxecutive Mansion, it s,new out of 
the admiration of the friends of the subject, who organized as the Jackson 
Monument Association, which raised $12,000. In 1848-50 Congress con- 
tributed guns captured by the general, and in 1852 a nione\' donation of 
$20,000 was added. The total cost was $50,000. The statue is heroic, 
weighs 15 tons, and was unveiled January 8. 1853, the anniversary of the 
Battle of New Orleans, the subject's greatest victory 

Brown's equestrian statue of General Nathaniel Greene, of the Revolutionary 
Army, northeast of the Capitol, was erected by authority of Congress in 1877, in conformity 
with a resolution of 1786. Cost $40,000; with pedestal $50,000. Height of figure 131^ 
feet, weight 6,000 lbs. Height with its granite pedestal is nVi feet. 




MILLS' STATUE OF JACKeON. 




li.iOWN'3 STATQE 0? GREENE. 



I -ELEASED from the gorges in the hills abov-e Georgetown, the Potomac 
River expands into a broad, lake-like stream. In front of Washington it is 
154^ miles, and at its mouth is jy^ miles wide. The main channel, starting at 
Georgetown, runs between Analostan Island and Easby's Point, and thence 
along the Virginia shore to Long Bridge; thence to Giesboro Point, where it 
joins the waters of the Anacostia. • The shoalest place below Washington at 
high water is 22 feet, and off the city the greatest depth is 18 feet. An 
inner channel extends along the Washington' front from Arsenal Point to 17th 
Street West. To the Navy Yard in the Anacostia, the depth is 14 feet. The 
office of customs for the District is at Georgetown, and the harbor lies between the town 
front, the Virginia shore, and Analostan Island. It is Soo ft. wide and 25 ft. deep. 





The POTOMAC RIVER IN FRONT OF WASHINGTON. 



^ ' N 14th Street, at the intersection of Massachusetts and Vermont Avenues. 

the BRONZE statue of Major General George H. Thomas, by J. A. 
Ward, was erected in 1879 by the Society of the Army of the Cumber- 
land, at a cost of ^40,000. The General is surveying the field of battle. 
The granite pedestal was erected by Congress at a cost of §25,000; height 
of statue 16 feet; with pedestal, X2 feet. 

C*-^^-^ On Scott Square, due north of the President's House, is the bronze 

statute of Lieutenant General Winfield Scott, by H. K. Brown, ordered by Congress 
1867, erected in 1874; cast out of cannon captured by the General in Me.xico. Total height 
15 feet, cost $20,000. The Geneial is represented on a charger at rest, and surve\-ing the 
field. The gnuiite pedestal. 14 feet high, consists of but five blocks, and weighs 320'3 tons. 








WARD'S STATUS OF THOMAS. 



BAOWN'S STATOB OP SCOTl. 




^N the original plans of Washington, the controlling idea of the French 
Engineer, Peter Charles L' Enfant, was to combine beauty with utility. With 
that view the avenues diverging from certain central points afforded delightful 
prospects, and the streets crossing at right angles were for the accommodation 
of business. The plan, which was heartily approved by Washington and Jeffer- 
son, contemplated appropriate embellishment. The disgraceful and )ieglectcd 
condition of tiie city for nearly three-quarters of a century, therefore, was not 
'^" due to any defects in the original plans. Congress erected great edifices for 
the accommodation of the public offices, and left the city itself a fitting symbol 
of their own absurd notions, and a disgrace to the American people. In 1870 a new era 
be^an, and to-day Washington is one of the most beautiful governing cities in the world. 
The engraving represents Washington fifty years after its occupation by the government. 




HE bronze statue of Major-General James B. McPherson at the intersec- 
tion of Vermont avenue and K street W., by Louis T. Robisso, erected in 
1876, by the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, cost ^23,50x3. The 
general is represented as viewing his army in action. The pedestal is of 
massive proportions. 



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The bronze statue of David G. Farragut, first admiral of the United 

tion of Connecticut 
n 1880, cost $20,000. 



' '^j T O States Navy, by Mrs. Vinnie Ream Hoxie, at the intersection of Connecticut 
avenue and 17th Street W., was erected by Congress 
The admiral is figured -is watching the movements of his fleets. 

The bronze statue of Brigadier-General John A. Rawlins, by J. Bailey, stands on 
New York Avenue, southwest of the Department of State. Was ordered by Congress and 
erected in 1873; cost gio,00O. He was adjutant general and chief of staff to General 
Grant, and his first Secretary of War. 





ROBISSO'S STATUE OF McPHERSON. 




REAM-HOXIE'S FARRAGUT. 



BAILEY'S RAWLINS. 




, HE bronze statue of Emancipation, by Thomas Ball, one mile east of the 
Capitol, was erected in 1876, at a cost of $17,000, -from funds subscribed by 
emancipated colored citizens of the United States. The first contribution, 
^5.00, was made by Charlotte Scott, a freedwoman of Virginia, and was 
the first money earned after her freedom, under the proclamation of 1863. 
The Western Sanitary Commission had charge of the movement. 

The Naval Monument, by Franklin Simmons, at the foot of Capitol 
Hill, was erected by subscriptions of the officers of Admiral Porter's fleet, 
after the fall of Fort Fisher, increased by sums received from distinguished gentlemen, and 
further by accretions of interest, at a cost of g2i,000. It is of Ravacchione Carrara 
marble, and was erected in 1877. Congress furnished $20,000 for the figures of Victory 
and Peace, and the pedestal and fountain. 




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liALL'S STATUE OP EMANCIPATION. 



SIMMONS' NAVAL MONUMENT. 



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Y Fountains add to the attractions of the Capitol. The finest is 
Bronze, by Bartholdi, a French sculptor, pupil of Ary Scheffer, exhibited 
at the United States Centennial Exposition, 1876, purchased by Congress 



}s\%/ ^877 for ^6,000. It represents Light and Water, the twin goddesses of 

(- ''O.Jv5)-m1_)s cities. It is 25 feet high. The bowl is 14 feet in diameter. The water is 

,'^S,^^«-' thrown from turtles, dolphins and the crown which surmounts the work, in 

"' (^y_ \ all nine outlets. The fountain is illuminated by 12 lamps, lighted by 

J, s. "• electricity. There are numerous other fountains in different parts of the 

T^ city. That north of the Treasury consists of an immense granite vase, cut 

out of a solid block, and the tassa of which measures 12 feet in diameter. The other 

bronze and iron fountains are of smaller size, except that in Mount Vernon place, but 

greatly beautify the squares in which located. 





THE BARTHOLOI FOUNTAIN. 




I 1 ffl' H^ ' P*-*N '^''^ Western brow of the plateau upon which stands East Washington 
vC-'WaHal' rear the mighty walls of the Capitol. It is the finest and largest structure 
of the kind in the world. It is 751 feet long and 324 feet wide, and covers 
3^ acres. It is of the Corinthian order. The foundations of the central 
portion were laid in 1793, and finished in 1827. The corner-stone of 
the extensions was laid in 1S51. The Soutli cxteftsion was occupied by the 
House of Representatives in 1857, and the North by the Senate in 1S59. The 
central or old building cost ^3,000,000, and the North and South exten- 
sions $8,000,000. The old portion is of Virginia freestone, painted white, and 
the extensions of Maryland marble. It is proposed to make the central building corre- 
spond with the wings on the North and South. 




THE CAPITOL. 




T the east main entrance to the Capitol is the Bkoxze Door, designed by 
Randolph Rogers, 1S58. and erected 1862. It is 19 feet high, weighs 20,000 
pounds, and cost $28,000. The panels represent : 1. Columbus before the 
Council of Salamanca. II. Departure for the court. III. Audience before 
>2^''^ Ferdinand and Isabella. IV. Departure from Palos on his first voyage. 
V. (Transom) The landing on the island of Guanahani. VI. Encounter with 
the natives. VII. Triumphal entree into Barcelona. VIII. In chains. IX. 
Death of Columbus. The statuettes represent the patrons and followers of 
Columbus; the iieads, his historians. 

The Sen.\te Bkonze Door, by Thomas Crawford, 14 1/ feet high, weight 14,000 lbs., 
co.st $50,495, and erected in 1868, represents: I. Battle of Bunker Hill. II. Battle of Mon- 
mouth ; rebuke of Lee. III. Battle of Yorktown. IV. Welcome of Washington at Trenton. 
V. Inauguration as first President. VI. Laying the corner-stone of the Capitol. The 
bottom panels represent War and Peace. 





THE MAIN BRONZE LOOK. 




THE SENATE BRONZE DOOR. 



-^ URMOUNTING the mighty pile of the Capitol is the Dome, rearing its lofty 
summit 288 feet to the top of the lantern, and 307 feet to the plume of the 
statue of Freedom. The diameter is 135^ feet. It rests on an octagonal base. 
At a height of 93 feet it clears the main building. Here begins the immense 
///-^^ iron superstructure, consisting of a peristyle 124 feet in diameter, composed of 36 
iron columns, 27 feet high; above this is a balustrade and range of windows, 
and thence begins the domical covering. The lantern is 15 feet high. The 
- ^ iron consumed weighed 8,000,000 lbs,, and cost, completed, $ 1, 000,000. In the 
rcj lantern is a reflector, lighted to indicate night sessions of Congress. The sub- 
struction of the dome consists of 40 Doric columns resting on heavy foundations of masonry. 
Beneath this is the undercroft, where it was proposed to lay the remains of Washington. 





N THE Rotunda are eight historical paintings, representing Discovery, Ex- 
ploration and Colonization of North America, and struggle for Independence. 

Columbus Landing on Guanahani, one of the Bahama Islands, October 
1 2th, 1492, by John Vanderlyn, ordered 1842, cost gio,ooo, represents the 
Admiral taking possession in the name of the King and Queen of Spain. The 
following are the principal characters introduced: 

I. Columbus; 2. M.-»rtiii Alonzo Pinzon ; 3. Vincent Yannez Pinzon ; 4. Rodrigo des Escobedo, notary of the armament; 
:;. Rodrigo Sanchez, inspector of the armament; 6. Mutineer in a suppliant attitude; 7. Alonzo de Ojeda ; 8. Cabin boy kneel- 
in<'; 9. Soldier, whose attention is partly diverted from the ceremony by the appearance of the awe-stricken natives in the 
forest' lo.'^Sailor in an attitude of veneration for the Admir.al; 11. Friar bearing crucifix. The vessels in distance are the Santa Maria, Pinta and 
Nina. 

De Soto Discovering the Mississippi River, May, 1541, by W. H. Powell, was 
ordered in 1850, cost $i2,ooo. The conception of the subject is somewhat fanciful. The 
discoyerer.s had endured great privations in their march from Florida, and, ragged and 
worn, took to the river in canoes, in hopes of escape from their sufferings. In the dis- 
tance will be seen the Mississippi, filled with islands, and canoes laden with savages. 
The portraits, prominent characters and objects represented are : 

I. De Soto ■ 2. Moorish servant ; 3. Confessor ; 4. Young Spanish cavalier ; 5. Cannon dragged up by artillerymen ; 6. Stalwart men planting the 
cross ■ 7. Ecclesiastic bearing a censer; 8. An aged priest blessing a cross : 9. A soldier dressing his wounded leg; 10. Camp chest, with arms 
helmets and other implements of w.ar ; 11. A group of standard bearers and helmeted men , 12. Two young Indian maidens ; 13. Indian chiefs bearing 
pipes of peace. 




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APTISM OF POCAHONTAS, 1613, by John G. Chapman, ordered 1836, cost 
$10,000, represents an event familiar to the students of American history. The 
scene is at Jamestown, in Virginia, the first permanent white settlement on the 
American continent. John Rolfe, her future husband, .stands by her side. The 
portraits are : 

1. Pocahontas ; 2. John Rolfc ; 3. Alexander Whiteaker ; 4. Sir Thomas Dale, Governor of Virginia ; 5. Sister 10 Pocahontas ; 6, 
Nantcquans, brother to Pocahontas ; 7. Opechancanough : 8. Opachisco, uncle to Pocahontas ; 9. Richad Wyffin ; 10. Standard 
Bearer : 11. Mr. and Mrs. Forrest, the first gentlewoman who arrived in the colony; 12. Henry Spilman r 13. John and Ann Laydon 
ho were married in the country ; 14. The Page. 

Embarkation of the Pilgrims, from Delft-Haven, Holland, July 2i, 1620, O. S., 
by Robert W. Weir, ♦ordered 1836, cost ;$[0,000. This painting represents the Puritan 
fathers about to brave the dangers of the stormy Atlantic for an asylum in the wilds of 
America. The portraits are : 

I. William Robinson, pastor of the congregation ; 2. Elder William Brewster ; 3. Mrs. Brewster and sick child : 4. Governor Carver ; 5. William 
Bradford ; 6. Mr. and Mrs. White; 7. Mr. and Mrs. Winslow ; 8. Mr. and Mrs. Fuller: 9. Miles Standish and his wife Rose ; 10. Mrs. Bradford, who 
fell overboard the day the vessel came to anchor; 11. Mrs, Carver and child; u. Captain Reynolds and sailor: 15. Boy belonging to the Carver 
family : 14. Boy in cliarge of Mrs. Winslow ; 15. Boy belonging to Mrs. Winslow's family ; 16. Nurse and child. 




IGNING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, Philadelphia, July 

4, I TJ^, the first of four paintings ordered by Congress, 1 8 1 7, by John 
Trumbull, cost $8,ooo each. The figures are portraits by the artist, an officer 
of the Revolution ; and the arrangement by Jefferson, the author of the doc- 
ument, : 

I. Geo. Wythe, Va.; 2. Wm. Whipple, and 3. Josiah Bartlett, N. H.; 4. Benjamin Harrison, Va.; 5. Thos. Lynch, 

5. C; 6. Richard H. Lee, Va.; 7. S. Adams, Mass.; 8. Geo, Clinton, N. Y.; 9. Wm. Paca, and 10. Sam. Chase, M. 
II. Lewis Morris, and 12. W. Floyd, N. Y.; :3. Arthur Middleton, and 14. Thos. Heyward, S. C; 15. Chas. Carroll, Md.; 
16. Geo. Walton, Ga ; 17, Robt. Morris, 18. Thos. Willing, and 19. Benjamin Rush, Penn.; 20. Elbridge Gerry, and 21, 
Robi. Treat Paine, Mass.; 22. Abraham Clark, N. J.; 23. Stephen Hopkins, and 24. Wm. Ellery, R. L; 25. Geo. Clymer, 

Penn.; 26. Wm. Hooper, and 27. Jos. Hewes, N. C; 28. Jas. Wilson, Penn.; 29. Francis Hopkinson, N. J.; 30. J. Adams, Mass.; 31. Roger 
Sherman, Conn.; 32. Robt. L. Livingston, N. Y.; 33. Thos. Jefferson, Va.; 34. Benjamim Franklin, Penn.; 35. Richard Stockton, N. J.; 36. 
Francis Lewis, N. Y.; 37. John Wilherspoon, N. J.; 38. Saml. Huntington, 39, Wm. Williams, and 40. Oliver Wolcott, Conn.; 41. John 
Hancock, Mass.; 42. Chas. Thompson, Penn.; 43. Geo. Reed, Del.; 44. J. Dickinson, Penn.; 45. Edw. Rutledge, S. C; 46. Thos. McKean, 
Del,; and 47, Philip Livingston, N. Y. 

Burgoyne's Surrender at Saratoga, N. Y., October, 1777. The captured Com- 
mander of the British forces tenders his sword to the American General, Gates, which is 
dechned. The portraits are : 

1, Maj. Lithgow, Mass.; 2. Col. Cilly, and 3. Gen. Starke, N. H.: 4. Capt. Seymour, Conn., Sheldon's Horse; 5. Maj. Hull, and 6. Col. 
Greaton, Mass.; 7. Maj. Dearborn, and 8. Col. Scammell, N. H.; 9. Col. Lewis, N. Y., Qiiarterm;ister-Gen,; 10. Maj. Gen. Phillips, British 
army; it. Lieut. Gen. Burgoyne, Commander British forces; 12. Gen. Baron Reidesel, British army (German); 13. Col. Wilkinson, Dep. Adj. 
Gen., American army; 14. Gen. Gates, Commander American forces; 15. Col. Prescott, Massachusetts Volunteers; 16. Col. Morgan, Virginia 
Riflemen; 17. Brig. Gen. Rufus Putnam, and 18. Lieut. Colonel Brooks, Mass.; 19. Rev. Mr. Hitchcock, R. L, Chaplain; 20. Maj. Robert 
Troup, N. Y., Aid-de-Camp ; 21. Maj. Haskell, Mass.; 22. Maj. (after Gen.) Armstrong, Aid-de-Camp ; 23. Maj. Gen. Philip Schuyler, N. Y.; 
24. Brig G=n. Glover, Mass.; 25. Brig. Gen. Whipple. N. H. Militi.i ; 26. Maj. CLirkson, N. Y., Aid-de-Camp ; and 27. Maj. Stevens, Mass.. 
Commanding Artillery. 




urrrndp:r of cornwallis at yorktown. va.. 



VVasiiinglon designated General Lincoln to receive the surrender 
general in retaliation for that officer's treatment at Charleston, 
are the portraits : 



October. 1781. 
of the British 
The followinof 



1. Count Deuxponis ; 2. Duke de Lav;il Montmorency, and 3. Count Custine, Cols. French Infantry; 4- Duke de Lauzun, Col. 
French Cavalry ; 5. Gen. Choizy ; 6. Viscount Viomeuil ; 7. Marquis de St. Simon : 8. Count Fersen, and g Count Dumas, A-d-C. 
toCount Rochambeau; 10. Marquis Chastellux ; 11. Baron Viomeuil; 12. Countde Barre, and 13. Count de Grasse, Admirals 
French Navy; 14. Count Rochambeau. Gen. -in-Chief French forces ; 15. Gen. Lincoln, American Army; 16. Col. Stevens, 
American Artillery; 17. Gen. Washington, Commander-in-Chief American forces; ]8. Thomas Nelson, Gov. Va. ; 19. Marquis 
Lafayette ; 20. Baron Steuben ; 21. Col. Cobb, A-d-C to Gen. Washington ; 22. Col. Trumbull, the artist. Sec'y. to Washington ; 
23. Maj.-Gen. Clinton, N. Y. ; 24. Gen. Gist, Md. ; 25. Gen. Wayne, Penn., Gen. Hand, Penn., Adjutant General; 27. Gen- 
Peter Muhlenberg, Penn.; 28. Maj-Gen. Knox, Commander Artillery; 29. Lieut. Col. Huntingdon, aid to Gen. Lincoln; 3c. Col. Timothy 
Pickering, Quartermaster General; 31. Col. Alexander H.imillon, commanding Light Infantry; 32. Col. Laurens, S. C. ; 33. Col. Walter Stuart, 
Penn , and 34. Col. Nicholas Fish, N. Y. 

Resignation of George Washington as commander-in-chief of th^ Continental armies, 
to the President of Congress, at Annapolis. Md., December 23. 1783. On this occasion 
he delivered his farewell address. The portraits are: 

I. Thos, Mifflin, Penn., President Congress; ?. Chas. Thompson, Penn ; 3. F.lbridge Gerry, Mass.; 4. Hugh Williamson, N. C; 5. Sam'I, Osgood, 
Mass. ; 6. Edw. McComb, Del. ; 7. Geo. Partridge, Mass. ; 8. Edw. Lloyd, Md. ; 9. R. D. Spaight, N. C ; 10. Benj. Hawkins, N. C. ; 11. A. Foster, 
N. H. ; 12. Thomas Jefferson, and 13. Arthur Lee, Va. ; [4. David Howell, R. I. ; 15. James Monroe, Va. ; 16. Jacob Reed, S. C, all members Con- 
gress ; 17. Jas. Madison, Va., spectator; 18. William Ellery, R. I.; 19. Jeremiah Townley Chase, Md. ; 20. S. Hardy, Va , and 21. Charles Morris, 
Penn. , members of Congress ; 22. General Washington, Va. ; 23. Col. Walker, and 24. Col. Humphreys, Aids-de-Camp ; 25 and 26. Gens. Smallwood 
and Williams, and 27 and 28. Cols, Smith and Howard, Md. ; 29. Charles Carroll and two daughters, Md. ; 30. Mrs. Washington and her three 
grand-children, and 31. Daniel Jenifer, St. Thomas, Md., spectators. 




iskl^ 








3 




MONG the most ntliactive features of the Capitol are the four grand stair- 
cases. The East staircases in the Senate and House wings are of highly 
polished Brown Tennessee, and the West of white marble. In design and 
dimensions the four are alike. The iron frame overhead comprises a 
^'.^ skylight of beautifully stained glass, surrounded by a rich treliis-work, rest- 
ing on a heavy cornice of marble. Statiiaiy and paintings add to their 
imposirg character. 



OvEK the Rotunda, which is 96 feet in diameter, at a height of 1 80 
feet, is the canopy, upon which in fresco is represented an apotheosis of Washington with 
Freedom on his right and Victory on his left, and thirteen female figures, typical of 
original States of the Union, and si.x cmbleniatical groups on the outer 
65^ ft. in diameter, ordered by Congress, in 1864, executed by Constan- 
and cost 1^50,000. 



the thirteen 
zone. It is 
tino Brumidi 




the loft, 



,^N the centre of the north wing of the Capitol is the Senate Chamber. It is 
113^ feet long, 80 feet wide and 36 feet high. Exclusive of the cloak rooms 
and lobby, it is 8^ feet by 51 feet. There are mahogany des^s and si'a^s on the 
floor for two Senators from each state. The galleries over the cloak rooms and 
lobby will seat 1,200 persons. The Reporters gallery is over the President's 
seat, which occupies a raised platform, and in front are the desks of the officers 
of the. Senate. _ The ceiling is of immense iron girders, forming panels, and 
richly finished in bronze and gilt. In the panels are decorated glass. The 
lighting by day and night is by means of these lights, the gas jets being in 
and not visible from below. The doors are bird's eye maple, with bronze ornaments. 



^ j^ ;>^y NQUESTIONABLY one of the finest legislative apartments in the world is 
.-JaL-Hl/ the Hai.l of the Repkesentatives. It is 115 feet long, 67 feet wide, and 
36 feet from floor to ceiling, and including the retiring and cloak rooms, 
it is 139 feet by 93 feet. The desks occupied by the Representatives of 
the people are arranged in concentric semi-circles, the aisles radiating from 
the raised marble dais occupied by the Speaker and officers of tiie House. 
The iiiaee or iiisi^^iiia of authority, when the House is in session, stands on 
the marble pedestal on the right of the Speaker's chair. The galleries, which 
will seat 2500 persons, range around the four sides of the Hall, over the cloak 
rooms and lobb\-. The ceiling is of iron, paneled and highly enriched with gilt mouldings, 
and supported on a decorated cornice. The panels are filled with glass ornamented with 
appropriate designs; these afford light by night and day. 





^•fis'OR the becoming accoinaiodation of the President upon occasions of visiting 
the Capitol, an apartment has been set apart for iiis exclusive use in the 
Senate wing, and is known as The President's Room. It is richly decorated 
in frescoes encaustic and gilt by Bruaiidi. On the walls are medallions 
containing portraits of Washington and his first cabinet. In the groined arches 
overhead are frescoes of Columbus, Vespucius, Brewster and Franklin, typifying 
V Discovery, Exploration, Religion and History. 

''n^' The Committee Rooms of the Capitol are a!so elegant in design and 

decoration. That of the Senate committee on jMilitary Affairs, represented in the engrav- 
ing, is illustrative of the whole. In the arches overhead are five historical subjects in 
fresco by Brumidi — Boston Massacre, Lexington, Death of Wooster, Washington at Valley 
Forge, and Storming of Stony Point by Wayne. 





The PRESIDENT'S ROOM. (Capitol.) 



k C0MMITT3S ROOM. (Capitol.) 




URMOUNTING the Lantern of the Dome of the Capitol is the statue of 
Freedom in bronze by Thomas Crawford. It is 191^ feet high, weighs 6^ 
tons, was cast at Bladensburg, near Washington, and cost $23,796. At noon, 
December [2, 1863, amid tiie booming of heavy guns from the forts constituting 
the defences of the threatened Capital of the nation, it w.is placed in position. 

The National Statuary Hall, set apart for two statues i'rom each state, 
contains the following contributions, in the order of donation : Rhode Island, 
1871. Nathaniel Greene, b\' Hrowii, and Roger Williams, by Simmons; Con- 
necticuf, 1872. Jon ithan Trumbull, b\' Ives, and Roger Sliinnm, by Ives; New York, 
1873, George Clinton, by Brown, Robert R. Livingstone, by Palmer; Massachusetts, 1876, 
John Wintiirop, by Greenough, Samuel Adams, by Anne Whitney; Vermont, 1876, Ethan 
Allen, by Mead, J.icoij Collamer, by Powers; Maine, 1880, VVilli.im King, by Simmons. 




GREENE. WILLIAMS. SHERMAN. TRUMBUIA. CLINION. LIVINGSTON. WINTHROP. ADAMS. ALLEN. 





Sa)j^^ HE official residence of the President of the United States, popularly known as 
the Executive Mansion or "White House," from its color, stands ij^ miles 
west of the Capitol. It was commenced in 1792, under the superintendence 
of and from designs by James Hoban, of South Carolina. It is built of free- 
stone from the government quarries at Aquia creek, on the Potomac, forty 
miles below Washington. It is 170 feet long by 86 feet wide, two stories 
high, with a basement, and surmounted by a balustrade; cost to date 
gi, 700. 000. ( )n the north is a ^raiiil portico, supported on 8 Ionic columns. 
On the south is a semi-circular colonnade of 6 columns. The western half of 
is used by the President's family. The first President to occupy the building 
was John Adams, in November, 1800, upon the removal of the public offices from Phila- 
delphia to the permanent seat of government. 



the buildins. 




deliers 
thrown 
officials 
lonp to 



HE EAST ROOM, so designated on account of its position in the build- 
ing, was originalh' designed as a banquet hall, and so used as late as the 
^M year 1837. It is finished after the pure Greek style of decoration. It is 
'*^'" 80 feet long, and 40 feet wide, and 22 feet in height. The ceilings are 
elaborately and artistically finished, in oil. and the walls in embossed paper 
of a French-gray tint. The dado columns, cornice and mantels are wood, 
finished jn white and gilt. The great mirrors, richl)'-upholstered furniture 
and hangings, are of the richest material and design ; and immense chan- 
add to the attractions of the room. This room is the principal one of the suite 
open upon occasions of general receptions. When lighted and thronged with 
of high rank, and ladies and gentlemen of culture and fashion, the effect is one 
be remembered. 





THE EXECUTIVE MANSION. ( South Front. ) 



THE EAST ROOM. 




^SSING from the East through the- Gran Room, we enter the Blue Parlor. 
It is a tasteful apartment, oval in form, being 40 by 30 feet, and is finished 
in blue and gilt, and furnishings of blue damask. It is in this parlor that 
the President trccn'cs oh occasions of public and private receptions. The wife 
of the President also here holds her Dnnviiig Rooms, or afternoon receptions, 
on Saturdays. Guests enter by the Red or Private Parlor, and depart by the 
Green. 

The State Dining Room is a spacious apartment 40 by 30 feet 
The dining table will seat thirty-si.x persons. Here the President gives his state 
dinners, usually every two weeks during the season of social gayety in winter, to the high 
officials of the Executive branch of the Government, the judges of the Supreme Court, 
antl Senators and Representatives, by selection. 




The blue parlor. 




The state dining-room. 




/ r V' X THE head of the official stairway is the Cabinet Room or the office of the 
ft ■■W President. It is fitted up without ostentation. Here the Cabinet meets on 
every Tuesday and Friday at I2 o'clock noon to deliberate on such affairs 
of state as may be brought to their attention by the President, or as may 
come up in the routine of the various Executive Departments. The Presi- 
dent sits at the end of the table away from the door, the Secretary of State 
on his right and of the Treasury on his left, and thus consecutively alter- 
nating. War, Nav\-, Postmaster-General and Attorney-General. The Secre- 
tary of the Interior sits opposite the President, at the other end of the table. 

The State Bed Chamber is one of the principal chambers fitted up for guests. The 
President and family occupy a suite of apartments in the southeastern part of the building. 




The cabinet room. 




THE STATE BED-CHAMBER. 



':^%0Mi 



EXT to the Capitol, the State, Wak and Navy Department is the largest 
public edifice in Washington. It is of Roman Doric, originally treated 
designed by A. B. Mullet, supervising architect of the Treasury, and in- 
cluding pavilions, projections and steps, measures 5C7 feet by 342 feet. 
The bttildmg proper is 471 feet b}- 253 feet. The greatest hciglit from 
tiie terrace level is 128 feet. It is crowned by a lofty mansard roof 
There are four grand entrances, approached by massive fliglits of steps, the 
platform.s*^of which are of single blocks of granite, weighing over 20 tons each. The in- 
terior finish is bronze, iron, marble and niahogan\-. The South Pavilion is occupied b\' the 
Dejiartment of State, the East by the Departments of War and Na\'y. The Xoith is 
buildiii"-. The structure will contain 200 rooms, and will cost $5,000,000. 





THE STATE, WAR, AND NAVY DEPARTMENT. 




NE of the chief attractions of Washington is its broad Avenues and 
Streets. There are 21 avenues and 107 streets, aggregating respectively 
65 and 214 miles. They are beautifully laid out, with parking in the centre 
^t or sides, planted with choice trees, and paved after the latest improvements. 
E*^ .-.xv;-'-^^ Fcnnsvh'ania Avauie, the main thoroughfare of the city, is no to iqo feet 
As*^'';? ?S'>?)")>» wide. The fashionable and business quarter of the city is the north-west 
^^ section. 

The Old District Court House, formerly the municipal building, but partly finished, 
was commenced in 1S20. It is of freestone. 

The Navy Yard is on the Anacostia, about a mile above its junction with the Poto- 
mac. The site was selected in 1799. Once large vessels of war were built here, but the 
shallowing of the river has ruined it for such purposes. It is now more a manufacturing 



depot. 





PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE. 



THE NAVY YARD. 



HE TREASURY DEPARTMENT, central or old portion designed by Robert 

Mills, and the new by T. U. Walter, architects of the Capitol, was commenced 

respectively in 1836 and 1855. The general plan measures 46S feet by 264 

feet, or, inclusive of porticoes and steps, 582 feet by 300 feet. It is pure 

Grecian Ionic, and consists of three stories, a basement and sub-basement. 

The entire building is surmounted by a balustrade. On the western facade 

is a colonnade 336 feet long formed of 30 Ionic columns of Virginia freestone. 

The north and south pavilions and western facade are of Maine granite, and 

contain some fine monolithic columns 31 feet high, and weighing 90 tons 

each. The platforms on the buttresses of the north, south and west steps, are single 

blocks weighing 100 tons. The building contains 195 rooms, exclusive of basement, 

and cost $6,000,000. 











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N THE peninsula, at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers is 
the Arsenal. During the RebelHon, 1861-65, '* was a depot of ordnance 
suppHes for the armies operating in Virginia. The "^rounds are beautifully- 
laid out. The body of Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Lincoln, 
was landed here, and, with the bodies of the other conspirators, was buried 
in one of the cells of the United States Penitentiary, which then stood at the 
north end of the grounds. When torn down in 1869, the bodies were 
removed. 



The Observatory, under the direction of the Navy Department, was founded in 1842, 
and to-day in work ranks among the first. The Equatorial Telescope is the largest refractor 
in the world, the object glass measuring 26 inches. 

The Botanical Garden, commenced in 1850, contains one of the finest collections of 
rare exotics in the country. 




The arsenal 





THE OBSERVATORY. 



THE BOTANICAL GARDENS. 




' N point of delicacy of finish, the Post Office Department is regarded as the 

finest pubhc edifice in Washington, It is of New York and Maryland marbles, 

and in stvlc pure Corinthian. It was commenced in 1839, from plans by Robert 

Mills. In 1855 the north half was added, under the superintendence of M. C. 

Meigs, United States Engineer, assisted by Edward Clark, from designs by T. 

U. Walter. It nicasiins 300 feet by 204 feet. It consists of a sub-basement 

V^^iv. basement, principal story and attic. The monolithic co/uiiiiis and pilashrs, with 

^ j '^' their beautifulh'-wrought capitals, extend through the two stories, and support 

the architrave, frieze and cornice, crowned by a paneled acroteria. On the North 

front is a central projection of six columns. On the remaining fronts are attached columns 

of the order. In the centre of the building is an open court, faced with granite. The 

building cost Si.joo.ooo. 




P1\T rock creek the water of the Aqueduct \\;hich supplies Washington 
s conveyed over that stream in two 48-inch pipes, which form an arch 200 
/ feet span, and also sustain a roadway. 

The Sewerage system of the Capital is extensive and complete. The 



Ti/u-r creek sewer, one of the largest in the world, consists of a brick arch 
from 24 to 30 feet .span, and 15 feet high. 

The Corcoran Gallery of Art was founded and endowed by W. W. 
Corcoran in 1869. The building is 104 feet by 124^ feet, is of the 
Renaissance, constructed of brkk, with trimmings of Belleville Freestone, cost ;? 150,000. 

The Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and National Deaf Mute Col- 
lege incorporated in 1 857, is partly sustained by the government. The main building is 
of the pointed Gothic of the 14th Century, 216 feet by 76 feet, is of Connecticut brown 
stone, with courses of white Ohio sandstone. 




THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



i 






EST of tlie Department Building aie the Plant Houses, commenced in 

1868, from designs by William Saunders. The main structure is 320 feet 

^'Iit^Sivi^;!.',- ^o"&' 3° ^'^'^^ wide. The central pavilion is 60 feet long, ■'^i feet wide 

antl 30 feet high, devoted to palms, banana, antl other larger tropical 



vs 



w /;.if I I plants. The pavilions at either end are 30 feet square and 26 feet high, 

I ■/ ' ; v/,.- './y,.' f and are for semi-tropical plants. The connecting ramies are 100 feet 



long, 25 feet wide, and 17 feet high, for miscellaneous plants, chiefly of 
special economic value. To the south extends a «'/«;'■ 150 feet long. 
Other houses are located in parallel lines. The grounds belonging to the Agricultural De- 
partment are artistically laid out in lawn, walks and drives. The trees and plants in the 
arboretum are botanically arranged. The experimental grounds are also interesting. The 
object of these is to test varieties of small fruits and seeds, for distribution, if suitable. 




The plant houses. 




ONGRESS appreciating the necessities of the vast collection of ethnological and 
other valuable objects of interest and instruction possessed by the National 
Museum, in 1878 authorized the erection of a suitable building for their dis- 
play. It is of the modernized Romanesque, 327 feet square, and covers 2.35 
acres. The four exterior walls are 27 feet high, with pavilions at the corners. 
The dome in the centre is 67 feet in diameter, "jy feet high, and to top of 
lantern and finial 108 feet. The building is constructed of brick. In the cor- 
nices buff and blue brick are worked. The base course is of granite, and the four main 
entrances, window sills, etc., of gray Ohio freestone. Tlie interior consists of a central 
rotunda, 4 naves 65 feet by 1 17 feet, and in the e.\terior angles halls 65 feet square;, aggre- 
, gating 80,300 square feet of exhibition space; also 4,000 square feet in the galleries, and 
135 rooms for administrative purposes. Electric wires connect every part of the building. 




THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 




EORGETOWN, separated from Washington by Rock Creek, is at the head 
of iiavitjation of tlie Potomac. The site is specially picturesque. Popula- 
tion 12,578. 

The Soldiers' Home, three miles North of tiie Capitol, is a favorite 
drive. The balance of $300,000 (;gl 18,791), pillage money levied on the 
citv of Mexico by General Scott, was appropriated by Congress to found 
this MiHtary Asylum. The whole tract now comprises 500 acres. The 
buildings are ver\' fine, and will accommodate 400 persons. It is for privates in the 
regular army, from whose pay a ti'ifle is deducted monthly for its maintenance. 

Cabin John BKinoE, which conveys the Washington aqueduct across the creek of 
that name, is the largest span of masonry in the world, being 220 teet spring, 57^2 feet 
rise, and loi feet above the ravine. 

At THE Gke.\t F.\lls, thirteen miles from Georgetown, the Potomac breaks through 
the mountain in a channel lOO yards wide, and 80 feet descent in I )^ miles. The Little 
Falls, three miles above Georgetown, make a descent of ■}^'j feet in V^^ mile. Below George- 
town the river suddenh- widens. 




GREAT FALLii POIUilAC. 




SOLDIERS' HOME. 




CABIN-JOHN BRU)GK 




':,f/'AMES SMITHSON, an Englishman of noble descent, who died in 1828, left 
$515,169 " to found at Washington, under the name of The Smithsonian Insti- 
tution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of know/edge." This 
was accepted by the United States in 1836. By the accretions of interest, the 
fund was i-aised to $650,000, besides $450,000 expended for a building. The 
expenses of the Institution ai'e paid out of the income from the permanent 
fund. The building was designed by James Renwick, jr., is Norman, consisting 
of a main centre building two stories high and two ivings one story, connected 
b)' intervening ranges, each having a cloister with open stone screen on the 
north, the whole constructed of red freestone from Seneca Creek, near Washington; is 447 
feet long, 160 feet wide, and with toicers of various styles and altitudes, the higher of the 
two northern towers being 145 feet. 




iHK BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING, erected 1878-80, is 
of the Romanesque style, designed by J. G. Hill, supervising architect of the 
Treasiu-)-. cost $300,000, is constructed of pressed bricks with string courses 
of moulded bricks, and is fire-proof throughout. The NortJi facade, facing 
the city, comprises a basement and three stories, surmounted by an artistic 
cornice, and broken by three pavilions, that on the northeast rising into a 
belfr\' tower 130 feet high. The South facade is broken b\- several chim- 
^' neys of architectural design. The stack from the boiler room is lOO feet 

high. The work of Engraving, Prjnting, stamping and binding the United States Securities, 
Legal Tender and National Bank Notes, Internal Revenue stamps, checks, etc., used by the 
government is done here. 

The N.vnoNAL Mkdic.\l Collecie, the gift of Mr. Corcoran in 1864, was founded in 
1824. It is a branch of the Columbian University. 



r 




THE BUREAU OF EBGrSviNG AND PRINTINi). 




IHE NATIONAL MEDICAL COLLEGE. 




JVERY facility is afforded at the Capital for education. The art galleries, 
museums, universities, colleges, professional institutions, private and public 
schools, are of the highest order. Some of the public school buildings pos- 
sess decided architectural merits. The Franklin School, brick, 148 feet 
■by 79 feet, erected 1869, is said to be the most completely arranged public 
school building in the United States. It has been awarded prizes for design 
at -several International and National Exhibitions. The Jefferson School, 
erected in 1872, is the largest, 172 feet by ^Si feet, and will accommo- 
date 1,200 pupils. The J^Jgh School for colored scholars (Sumner 
Building!, a fine structure, was erected in 1872, and has ten school rooms. Botli races ha\'e 
liberal provisions for education. There are man\- other school edifices of fine architectural 
proportions in the city. 

Washington has many fine Church Edifices. The engraving represents the Ascension 
. Protestant Episcopal Church. ' 





_^M^ 



THE FRANKLIN SCHOOL. 



THE ASCENSION CHnRCH. 




AMOUNT VERNON, the home and grave of George Washington, 15 miles 
below the city of Washington, is within convenient communication by 
steamer daily. The mansion is of wood, 96 feet long. In the brick luiult 
is a marble sarcophagus containing the remains of Washington, and another 

1^ those of his wife. The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union 
own and ha\'e charge of the mansion and contiguous grounds, and have 
^1 kept the place in perfect preservation. 

The WA.SHINGTON National Monument, designed by Robert Mills, 
originall)- contemplated a circular colonnaded building 250 feet in diameter, 
and 100 feet high, with a marble obelisk shaft 70 feet at the base, and 500 feet high. 
The Association having raised $230,000, began work in 1848, and reached a height of 174 
feet in 1854, when it was suspended for want of funds. In 1879 Congress appropriated 
funds to continue the work, but of simpler design. 



5 





Washington monument. 




TOMB OF WASHINGTON. 



MOUNT VERNON. 







URING winter o[ 1/90— 91, President Wasliington conferred with the proprietors 
of the immediate site of the new Capital. Tiiese were Daniel Carroll, on the 
Anacostia, Notley Young, in the fork of tiie rivers, and David Burns on the 
river west towards Georgetown, At the mouth of tiie Tiber Creek, now the foot 
of 17th ar.d 1 8th Streets West, stood a small log structure, the residence of 
Da\id Buins. When Washington was presenting the advantages of the terms 
offered, this irascible .Scot bluntly observed, " I suppose, Mr. Washington, n'OU 
think people here are going to take every grist from you for pure grain ; but what would you 
have been if you hadn't married the widow Custis ?" Terms, however, were finally arranged, 
and the City laid out. When the brusque Davie died, Maria, his onl)- surviving child, became 
sole heiress to his estate, embracing where are now the Executive Mansion and Departments 
and the fashionable and business quarters of the Capital. She accepted the hand of John P. 
Van Ness, a Representative in Congress from New York, of excellent family, and married in 
1802. The new couple erected by the side of the sunple cottage the finest private iriansion 
then in the United States, and here were entertained many illustrious guests. Maria Van Ness 
was revered for her beauty, intelligence, piety, charity and hospitality, and received at her 
death, in 1832, the honors of a public burial. 




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^ERNMENT HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE. 



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